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Ryan Good: Sex, Love and Feminism

Lorna Irvine speaks to Ryan Good about two 'ambitious productions' at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

American performer Ryan Good is back at the Edinburgh Festival for two shows this year, markedly contrasting in their remit: COSMOnaut which is a comedic exploration of relationships and feminism through a modern bisexual man's perspective; the second, Menage, a site-specific examination of sex workers' experiences, which is performed to an audience of two people at a time. I caught up with Good ahead of these ambitious productions.

You don't make it easy on yourself! Two shows this year at the Fringe. Is it important to set yourself challenges as a theatre maker?

What was I thinking?!?!? One, two, or ten shows - there are no shortage of challenges at the Edinburgh Fringe. Last year I brought Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind with the Neo-Futurists and we were writing new material and rehearsing every day. This year, it's an immersive piece with six shows a day for an audience of two. It's good to keep me on my toes! That said, I feel like it was important to push and get these two shows out this year. Ménage focuses on sex workers and specifically the way Police Scotland's recent actions have put workers at risk - that couldn't wait until it was the right year for me personally; the story needs to be told now. And COSMOnaut is about my life right now and about where we, as a society, are in our interaction with the female experience.

Sex With Animals was not without its controversy and naysayers (the moral majority, etc), many of whom, of course, hadn't seen it. Are you anticipating a backlash, with these new shows?

In many ways, I hope so - if there's backlash, at least it means people are getting excited about the issues and talking about them. And to stand out amongst all the great shows out there this year, it can't hurt. Getting banned is the best thing that could have happened to Lady Chatterley's Lover!

Both shows are not without their controversial moments certainly, though nothing quite as overt as the title of the last show. These shows are so much more about women than anything I worked on prior to this. I've worked really hard to become educated before speaking on these topics, so I'm very hopeful no one will see any of it as "man-splaining".

You parodied rock star swagger in SWA. I have a theory that little girls latch onto rock stars as fantasy figures when growing up as porn/erotic content isn't geared as much towards us as men (thanks to the male gaze). Do you agree with that, or do you think that has changed?

It's an interesting idea. Reading so much of Cosmo magazine made me much more aware of how women are taught the priority is to "please their man". I feel like that's in line with the way adult content is created. We've spent a lot of time (probably too much time) focusing on men. But I do see a slow shift now. Female directed porn, the re-re-re-branding of the controversial "feminism" term, characters in film and TV all seem to be driving towards something new in gender roles. But we still have so much further to go.

Oh, and for the record, I latched onto New Kids On The Block, Kurt Cobain and Eric Clapton as much as any little girl when I was growing up.

COSMOnaut and Menage are two very different shows. How easy is it to get yourself into a different mind-set when you are performing?

Well, Ménage is a new fringe experience for me because I wrote and am directing the show, but I have two fantastic performers, as well as an associate director and the guidance of my producer. I was a little scared of letting go of that control initially, but once we got into the rehearsal process I realized how much I could trust these women and how much stronger our collaborative vision is than it would be if I tried to take this on myself. It will certainly be interesting running off to perform COSMOnaut after wringing my hands like a nervous parent at their five-year-old's football match all day while Ménage is being performed. But I'm wearing spandex again, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

Menage is intimate, and site-specific, based on interviews with sex workers in Edinburgh and London. Are you trying to change preconceptions about the sex trade?

Absolutely. Challenging how audience members see the people who work in this industry is my primary goal with this piece. That said, I think a lot of what the audience gets out of the show will be based on what specific preconceptions they bring when they walk into the space.

Has the project changed your own attitude to sexuality?

I wouldn't say changed as much as clarified. For a long time, I've felt we will all be better off the more we take sexuality out of the shadows and discuss it openly. The people interviewed for this project are just that - people - and should not be stereotyped as mysterious or seedy because of the sexual nature of their profession. But the only way to see that is to see these women as people first.

COSMOnaut meanwhile, makes reference to love, sex and feminism through the prism of Cosmopolitan magazine, albeit often from a male perspective. Have you had any resistance to this project, from either men or women?

I haven't had any resistance yet but the show is premiering in Edinburgh, so who knows what I'm in for. As I mentioned, the fear of "man-splaining" is a constant in this process which has led to a lot of discussion, edits, and script pages torn to shreds. It's important to me that I come from an informed place on these topics.

You're very open about your own sexuality and relationships in shows. Does this make you more vulnerable, both in performance terms and personally?

I think vulnerability and more specifically honesty onstage is something audiences crave. Our cultural obsessions over the last 15 or so years have reflected that. So, I love bringing that to a stage. But it can be absolutely terrifying. COSMOnaut feels like a show that is about everything in my life over the last 2 years and about my right now.

Personally, sometimes it makes it easier. Leaves me less to explain over after-show drinks.

What's next for you, in terms of performing?

Well, without giving too much away, I have two new shows in the works. One is a children's story-telling show for adults. And the other is a Kurt Cobain based karaoke cabaret. So watch out 2016 Ed Fringe! But let's get through this one first...

Menage and COSMOnaut are at Underbelly from Aug 6-30th.

www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk

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